In 2010, James Tucker made the decision to start looking at ways to continue his success with a new brand, which built on his current experience as a franchisees; that brand was CeX.
“I looked into many opportunities, but CeX always came out on top, I loved the idea of recycling old goods into new, especially since there will always be a market for this. The concept and style of CeX, plus the professional way the company is run, all resonated with me.” explains James.
Like all good companies, CeX offers a training scheme for all new franchisees to undertake. Where CeX really stands out is just how rigorous, hands–on and detailed the training is, and how it continues throughout your time with the company. James highlights: “I trained for 12 weeks in the Bristol store, which gave me a full understanding of the business through the support of the team there and our Franchise Manager. Even after completing my training and running my own location, I receive (ongoing) support from Frank Orchard, our Franchise Manager, as well as support with data and marketing.
Click here to request more information on CeX"Having seen impressive success with his first location, James set about building his CeX portfolio by looking at the market and seeing an opportunity to expand into areas that matched closely with CeX’s target market.
“These un-established areas around Somerset and Cornwall had populations that were familiar with the CeX idea, thanks to our existing store, and the large corporate stores in Bristol and Exeter, but had nothing in their immediate area that could fulfil their needs. I wanted to ensure that I could help facilitate their needs,” remarks James. With five stores under his watchful eye, and an additional two more on the horizon, James relies very heavily on his teams to ensure that everything is running smoothly when he is not on site.
“As a franchise owner of five stores currently, with two more on the way, I monitor performance on a daily basis by making use of the tools CeX provides,” continues James. “I then choose to visit stores to monitor performance where necessary, although my teams are now experienced enough to run mostly autonomously. This gives me the freedom to work on new areas for expansion, manage any specific marketing efforts for the stores, and make plans for the new stores I am opening.”
Having recently opened a new store in St. Austell, Cornwall, and in the next few months will see the opening of a Weston-Super-Mare location, James has now set his sights to bring his successful formula into Europe, which he has wanted to do for a while: “In addition to the new stores opening, I am going to be expanding internationally to open a branch in Benidorm.” explains James. “It has been a dream of mine to do this for some time and, thanks to CeX, I am able to confidently move into a country where the brand is already established and well known.”
Bringing in new business is always an important aspect for any retail company, but for James, repeat business is just as important and something that his stores work towards daily. As well as this, James is pleased to see families trading old, unwanted hardware for the latest phone or games console that they may not have been able to afford elsewhere: “More than anything, I enjoy seeing repeat customers. This happens in CeX more than in any other business I’ve run – it attracts loyal customers that actively engage with the brand. CeX helps make brand new tech completely affordable to anyone and everyone.”
Having built up a very successful and profitable portfolio with CeX, James has no qualms in telling other prospective franchisees that CeX is the perfect company for them.
“I think that CeX is going places – the company is expanding at a confident rate and meets the needs of such a wide range of people. As well as this, CeX gives you just the right level of autonomy as a franchise owner – you can run your business as you like, but the support is always there when and if you need it,” concludes James.